PRIME MINISTER:
It’s good to be here at St Paul’s Church to help open the parliamentary year. It’s good to remember our blessings and that’s what we all do at a time like this. It’s good to dedicate ourselves to the things we have in common, to the love we have for our country and for our fellow Australians and that is what we do at a service like this.
QUESTION:
Prime Minister, what will you be telling Premier Napthine when you meet with him later today?
PRIME MINISTER:
This is a difficult day for the people of Victoria and for the Government of Victoria. It is a difficult day for all Australians because the motor industry – which has been a very important part of our manufacturing sector for close to seventy years – is changing and shrinking; regrettably shrinking.
The important thing for governments at all levels is to try to ensure that we get the fundamentals right so that people who have good jobs today can have even better jobs tomorrow. The important thing is to try to ensure that our economies both at a state and national level are as strong as possible and I will be wanting to reassure Premier Napthine that the Commonwealth will work together with the state of Victoria to try to ensure that Victoria is as well placed as it possibly can be to face the future with confidence.
Thank you so much.
[ends]